What do thoughts, hopes, paintings, words, desires, photographs, traffic signs, and perceptions have in common? They are all about something, are directed, are contentful - in a way chairs and trees, for example, are not. This book inquires into the source of this power of directedness that some items exhibit while others do not. An approach to this issue prevalent in the philosophy of the past half-century seeks to explain the power of directedness in terms of certain items' ability to reliably track things in their environment. A very different approach, with a venerable history and enjoying a recent resurgence, seeks to explain the power of directedness rather in terms of an intrinsic ability of conscious experience to direct itself. This book attempts a synthesis of both approaches, developing an account of the sources of such directedness that grounds it both in reliable tracking and in conscious experience.

About the Author
Uriah Kriegel is an associate professor of philosophy at The University of Arizona. His work centers on consciousness and intentionality. His previous book, Subjective Consciousness: A Self-Representational Theory, was published by Oxford University Press in 2009.

Reviews
Kriegel has provided a rich and interesting proposal for integrating two traditionally opposed viewpoints on the nature of intentionality. * E. J. Green, Mind *
this book is an important and original contribution to the theory of intentionality, with many rich and interesting discussions, one that rewards close study and deserves a place on every philosopher of minds bookshelf. * Sean Crawford, Analysis *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199742974
Author Uriah Kriegel
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 550g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 31mm